As I promised yesterday, I’m back today with the winter squash, orange, and sage dessert. I initially liked the idea of using these ingredients in a dessert because it seemed like more of a challenge. Sage, in particular, is not usually used in sweets and I thought I could do something interesting with it.
The squash part was easy. Winter squash-based sweets abound: pumpkin pies, cheesecakes, muffins, and even pancakes feature on menus everywhere this time of year (well, not in the southern Hemisphere, I guess). In my first restaurant job I was given a recipe for butternut squash flan. I thought it was a great idea, but the stupid thing never worked right. My theory was that if we had just put a thin layer of caramel in the bottom of the molds, like you’re suppposed to when you’re making flan aka crème caramel, they would have come out beautifully every time.
So I did just that. I also reduced the amount of cream in favor of milk (not something you’ll hear me say very often), because traditionally, crème caramel is the lightest of the baked custards and made using only milk and whole eggs. Plus, I wanted that lighter texture. I think it balances the richness of the caramel and helps to make more of that delicious sauce you get when you finally unmold the dessert. I snuck some of the orange butter into the caramel to play up the orange flavor in the squash (I reserved some from the lasagna and puréed it using my beloved immersion blender).
After a short spell in the oven, their custards were ready. I prefer mine just-set, by which I mean barely holding together. Feeling pleased with my success so far, I left the custards in the fridge to chill overnight.
“But what about the sage?” You must be wondering. In one of those flashes of inspiration, it came to me.